Carnage
by OfNotebooksAndCoffeeShops
Summary: Detective Beca Mitchell is haunted by the Seattle Ripper case that tore her life apart nearly two years ago. Unable to keep a new partner, Det. Swanson is put on her service right as the Ripper returns to wreak more havoc. The past continues to creep up on her as she attempts to solve the case and keep her loved ones safe, even the ones who left. (Bechloe AU) (VIOLENCE/GORE)
1. Fresh Meat

Chapter One: **Fresh Meat**

 **Sunday, September 25th, 6:27pm**

Jesse Swanson's surroundings were not at all what he had imagined when he pictured becoming a homicide detective for the Seattle Police Department. After six months working with sex crimes, he had finally been transferred to Homicide after multiple references and repeated pleas to be sent to the department. According to all of his superiors, he was only accepted because they had an unexpected opening and none of the other qualified applicants wanted the position anymore, but what mattered to him was that he was now an official member of the Homicide Unit.

In his imagination, he had pictured the building being similar to the large ideal spaces found on television shows and movies, but instead it resembled something along the lines of an office building. The entire first floor of the building was dedicated to the Unit's personal crime lab, something Sex Crimes had as well and most likely all the other departments too, so the detectives worked on the second and third floors. He had passed the second floor and it seemed to just be a hallway to the other end of the floor, but he was sure it had its purpose. Jesse's destination was the third floor, the one that looked like an office instead of where professional detectives dedicated their time to solving heinous crimes.

The end of the stairwell dropped off directly in front of an open dark wooden door with a frosted glass panel that read:

 **Seattle Police Department:**

 **Homicide Unit**

The nervous Jesse took a full and shaky breath, releasing his hair in the steadiest stream he could manage as he tread through the doorway. From the small landing outside this floor looked like an office where middle-aged employees would spend their day taking calls and receiving orders. Despite his expectations, walking through the door did nothing to change that feeling. It only revealed that the room was slightly larger than one would originally picture, the right side being home to a small kitchen and what appeared to be conference rooms while the opposing part of the room had a few windows looking out at the gloomy street.

Jesse was greeted to his new department by the overwhelming scent of coffee, but nothing good. Just by the smell, he could already assume that drinking the substance would cause more damage than anything else.

Immediately in front of him were four groups of two L-shaped desks. Each grouping was slightly separated from the next one to make a square pattern. The shorter side of each desk ran against the adjacent desk while the longer side of each was turned to face the center, making a walkway towards a door that resembled the entrance to the unit. The group closest to the entrance on the right side had two women seated at their respective place, they both had similar bob haircuts and didn't appear to take notice of anything outside of their bubble. Across from them were two other women, one with extremely dark hair and the other a perky blonde, both of whom looked up and gave him a warm smile.

The blonde leaned forward, her smile widening as she chimed, "Can I help you, sir?"

"I- Yeah, I think so. I'm- uh," Jesse's nervousness began to get the best of him, his words slipping before he was aware of what he was trying to say. He took a calming breath, his boyish charm returning to his features. "I'm here to speak to the Lieutenant."

"Her office is right there," the blonde giggled and pointed at the door he had been looking at only a few moments ago. "Just knock and she should let you right in."

Jesse took a few strides towards her and reaching his hand out to grasp hers in a handshake. "Thank you-" he cut himself off, his eyebrows knitting together upon the realization that he didn't know her name.

"-Jessica," she finished for him. "Jessica Martin."

He nodded towards her, heading down the pathway between the desks towards the Lieutenant's office. He took notice of the other two groups of desks, the one towards the windows being the home of a plump blonde woman. The group opposing them had two brunette women, one of whom was staring Jesse down with a stone cold look that could kill and caused him to look at the other detective instead. She was beyond attractive and very well aware of that fact judging from her low-cut shirt that exposed a great deal of cleavage. Though she was very pretty, Jesse diverted his attention and made his way towards the door and gave a few knocks on the solid wood. Upon hearing a muffled ' _Come in_ ,' he nearly shoved the door open and closed it with equal fervor.

* * *

"He was staring at my boobs," Stacie smirked. The voluptuous woman stretched her legs out on top of the bare wooden desk she was seated at, swiveling to the left to get a better look at the other detective.

Beca Mitchell placed her folded hands down on her desk, looking into the sly minx's eyes with visible annoyance overtaking her features. "Stacie," she sighed, "Everyone stares at them."

"Those puppies are like two black holes," called Amy's Australian accent. "You can't escape."

Ignoring the comment, Beca glared at the peppy blonde who had greeted the childish looking visitor. "What did he say, Jess?"

"He just said he was here to talk to Gail," Jessica explained with a shrug.

"He's probably some new lab tech downstairs," Stacie offered, placing her thumb between her teeth seductively.

Fat Amy rolled her eyes at her busty friend's suggestion, stating, "The fetus is Mitchell's new partner, boobs-for-brains."

Stacie raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "These tits have gotten us both out of some deep shit, so I don't want to hear it."

"I am not babysitting that fucking kid," Mitchell bit out through clenched teeth. She thought back to her last partner, remembering how quickly he had requested a transfer. He hadn't even lasted a month.

"Gail will have your badge if you run him off too," Ashley reminded from her loyal position next to Jessica. "How many does he even make?"

"Eight," Amy, Stacie, and Jessica simultaneously droned.

A small snicker came from the corner that had been silent up to that point, causing Beca to bark out, "Shut your goddamn mouth, Kori."

"Mitchell," Jessica chided, her head tilting ever so slightly.

The brunette exhaled slowly through her nostrils, stating sarcastically, "I am so sorry, Kori. What I meant to say was will you shut the fuck up." Beca saw the thin blonde's mouth purse, leading her to almost whisper, "Please?"

Knowing very well that was the best she was going to get out of the hot-headed detective, Jessica gave her a genuine grin. Despite everyone else being fairly pleased with the brunette's almost civil nature, Kori's only response was to ignore the others and turn back to her friend Mary Elise.

The conversation would have continued down its raunchy path if it had not been for the sound of Lieutenant Abernathy-McKadden's door swinging open. Each detective's eyes landed on the familiar blonde woman and the new recruit, Gail's heels clicking against the tile floor as she came to tower before the seated and quick-tempered Beca.

Steel blue eyes bore into her superior's gaze, not wavering for even a second to glance at the fresh meat that stood behind her. Mitchell's mouth was pressed together in a hard line, though this was not visible due to her balled fists resting against her lips.

"Detective Mitchell," Gail's radio voice soothed, "I would like for you to meet your new partner."

The boy standing behind the Lieutenant stepped out from his hiding place, reaching his hand out towards Beca and greeting, "I'm Jesse."

Beca didn't move a muscle, didn't even blink, causing the boyish grin on his face to falter as he quickly took a step back. Both her demeanor and her wardrobe of all black sent a chill down his spine like the one he experienced each time he watched a horror movie.

"Detective Swanson needs you to show him the ropes and tell him what everything is," the Lieutenant said evenly, making no part of her statement questionable.

Mitchell growled out, "Get someone else to do it."

"Everyone else has a job to attend to," she informed.

"I have better things to do than-"

"You won't have to worry about any of your other priorities if you don't listen to me," Gail asserted. "Am I clear?"

Though mumbled, the words were still audible as she responded, "Crystal, Lieutenant."

Gail acknowledged the answer with a slight nod of the head, her heels once again clacking away as she went back into her private office.

Beca remained in her seat, not moving an inch as her eyes appreciated the grey sky in order to ease her temper. After some time, an uneasy Jesse coughed in order to remind the other brunette that he was still there. Dark blue eyes shot towards him, sizing him up before gazing into the depths of his soul as if searching for every secret he had ever hidden.

Realizing that the behavior could cause the young man to go to an early grave, Stacie stood from the seat she had been preoccupying and motioned towards the workspace before her, "This is yours. I just tend to be here whenever no one else is. I actually work over there," the sultry brunette pointed across from Beca, "with Fat Amy."

"Excuse me?" Jesse asked, taken aback by the name.

"It's so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back," the woman in question interjected. "But 'Fat Amy' is nowhere near as bad as the things we all call Stacie to her face."

With a forced yet still incredibly attractive smile on her face, Stacie went on, "You already met Jessica, but her partner is Ashley Miller." Ashley gave a small wave to the boy. "And over there you have-"

"-Kori and Mary Elise," Beca's icy tone declared. Stacie perked up at the statement, silently informing Jesse that her answer was correct.

"Don't worry, Mitchell will never hate you as much as she hates them," Amy stage whispered while her eyes roamed the duo mentioned before.

"I'm Stacie Conrad," the foxy woman shook the new recruit's hand. "And this incredibly _charming_ person to my left is Detective Beca Mitchell."

Attempting to lighten the mood, Jesse laughed and asked, "Do Amy, Kori, or Mary Elise have last names?"

"Amy can tell you on her own time, but the Devil's Twins-" Beca was cut off by Stacie's hand clamping over her mouth.

"We don't talk about it," Stacie interrupted, her tone full of joy at the fact she wouldn't have to listen to Beca fight with the reclusive pair. Without another word, Conrad began her strut back to her desk. Her eyes widened for a split second when she looked at Fat Amy to signify that she couldn't handle being the middle-man between Beca and another new partner.

Jesse took his seat with an air of caution, worried that the woman next to him would kill him in an instant. He began to play around with the computer just to make himself feel less awkward when he heard the whisper of the barely audible voice beside him.

"What?" He murmured, afraid his voice could set her off.

Beca shut her eyes tightly and said in a forced calm, "The lab is on the first floor, interrogation rooms and holding cells are above that, and behind you are the conference rooms. We have meetings with other departments there and collaborate on cases. There's a kitchen to the right of the entrance, but that's fucking obvious. Rule Number One: If you make a goddamn mess then clean it up. That goes for the kitchen and your job."

"Thanks, Be-"

Beca's eyes flashed open as she cut him off, "Rule Number Two: You can call me Mitchell. Under no circumstances can you call me by my first name or any nickname you think is clever. It's not clever. It just pisses me off."

"Understood," he gulped. Jesse observed out of the corner of his eye as Mitchell preoccupied herself with the computer screen, not paying the smallest bit of attention to him. "So- uh- I heard that you've had a lot of partners."

She chose not to respond. Instead she froze, one hand on the mouse and the other in the shape of a fist over her mouth as her steel eyes inched to glare at him.

"I didn't- Not in a bad way. Like- The Lieutenant told me about it. I just thought- maybe I could bring it up. Break the ice," Swanson stumbled over his words, each one becoming more reckless and shaky as the icy stare remained unmoving.

"You're my eighth partner in seventeen months. So far, I like you more than I liked the others." Her eyes went back to the screen as if she had never even seen him to begin with.

Jesse allowed a small smile to overtake his features, "Good. I was worried you hated me and I think we could be awesome partners, like in that movie-"

"I do hate you," she stated with no emotion. "We're not friends, Swanson. I'm not going to make small talk with you or go out to lunch with you. If you ask me about the fucking weather, I'll shove your skull through a window so you can see. So if you don't want me to end your life right here then you'll shut up and act like an adult because I'm not here to babysit you."

In place of a usual response, Swanson gave a quick thumbs-up before searching the desks across from him for any form of true human contact. What he was greeted with was Stacie and Fat Amy both in a mixture of shock and something that could only be joy. Jesse felt as if he was on the very edge of an inside joke, to where every single person in the room was in on it and he was only aware of the fact that there was a joke to begin with.

From Beca's point-of-view, there must have been a god out there looking out for her because the second she noticed that Jesse seemed to want to speak again was the same moment that her phone began to ring. Without a millisecond of hesitation, she jerked the piece of plastic off its stand and against her ear.

"Homicide, Detective Mitchell speaking," Beca spoke the line with more excitement than intended.

"Bloody Hell, Mitchell. You sound like you're excited that someone got murdered," the familiar British voice lectured. Beca huffed into her end of the phone as a response. "Listen, we got a Caucasian female down by Pike Market. It looks a lot like the girl they found about a week ago, but I think you should check it out."

"Already on my way," the brunette hung the phone back up and stood, grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. Beca glanced up to see Jesse staring back at her, confused as to what had just happened. "Get your coat, dumbass."

 **Sunday, September 25th, 7:42pm**

The newly paired duo pulled up behind a Seattle Police Department car that had the lights blaring, leading Jesse to put his hand up to cover his eyes. Mitchell was out of the vehicle the moment she shifted the gear into park, leaving Swanson to figure out for himself that he needed to get out or be left behind. After a brief moment of disorder, he hopped out and jogged to catch up to the quick and meaningful strides of his mentor.

Mitchell already knew where the body would be located since she tagged along after Stacie and Fat Amy got a call last Saturday about a victim in nearly the same place. She diverted her path from the street down an alleyway, ducking beneath the yellow police tape with practiced ease.

"Mitchell!" One of the officers waved at the pair heading towards the end of the alley.

"Evans," the small detective called out, a smirk gracing her features as she came to a stop beside a well-built blonde man.

"I've not seen you in a while," his pleasing British accent grinned.

"Only when there's a body involved," Mitchell stated, squatting down beside a large pile of discarded trash and boxes. "Any ID?"

The girl before her couldn't be more than 20, but that was even hard to tell from how bruised and bloody her face was. Her body was tossed aside atop the pile of garbage as if she belonged there. She was clad in what one could assume was originally a well-fitting blue dress, but was now torn to shreds and littered around the area. You could tell what belonged to her because it was covered in the crimson of her blood.

Luke's smile dissolved, remembering that they were there for a reason. "Yeah, it was in her wallet. Driver's License says her name is Peyton Woods, 25."

"It's fake," Mitchell said without even looking at it.

"Why do you think it's fake?" Jesse asked. Luke's head shot in his direction, finally taking notice of the fact that there was another person there. He gave him a once over before returning his attention to the detective in front of him.

"There are a few bars near here, but they actually card there. Just look at her. Young, pretty girl goes missing on a Saturday night and no one calls it in. I doubt that ID is real."

"Peyton Woods probably isn't even her real name," Luke added. "I'm going to radio in and see if we got any new missing person calls in the last few hours."

Luke walked back towards where Mitchell had parked, leaving her, Jesse, and another officer who was smoking towards the alley's opening. Mitchell continued to survey the girl, trying to see anything else that could help figure out why she was killed. Her black hair was matted together with a mixture of dried blood and dirt, but the constant rain of that Sunday evening had washed some of it out and allowed more blood to run down her face. Mitchell studied the girl's legs, noticing the nearly black bruises that littered her thighs in patterns of five.

"We need to call Sex Crimes," came Mitchell's solemn sigh.

"What?" Swanson inquired, moving a bit closer to the detective to see what she had seen. "I thought there was a case like this not long ago."

"There was," Beca explained. "She was found around here, but that looked more like a drug deal gone bad. This… This wasn't the same guy."

"I'll make the call," Swanson said obediently, jogging towards the car where he had left his phone. He passed Luke as he made his way back to the body, looking more distant than he had before.

"Mitchell," the young man bent down beside her. "There was a call about two hours ago. Mom said her daughter went to her friend's house last night and never came home. When she called them, they said her daughter didn't come over. Peyton Wallace, 18, black hair and green eyes."

"I think this is her," Mitchell mumbled. "Swanson is calling in Sex Crimes now."

Luke glanced at the girl's legs, spotting the bruises just like his friend had not too long ago. "I'll wait here for them."

"No," she shook her head. "I'll stay. You can go see if anyone's jaywalking near the Space Needle."

The officer couldn't help but grin at the joke, looking over at the detective. He pushed up against his knee, standing to his true height once again before Beca did the same. "Is that kid your new partner?"

"Yeah," the acid in her tone was clear. "He's annoying as hell and tried to act like we were friends."

The blonde man chuckled, removing his hat for a brief second to readjust it. "You know, I remember another detective who acted like you two were friends."

"Don't," Mitchell deadpanned.

"How are the other replacements?" Luke didn't have a death wish, so he diverted the conversation to a different topic.

"All they do is fuck police officers and half-ass their investigations," she bit out.

"They've been there well over a year, so I'm sure they're doing something right."

"You can always come back," her voice tried to give nothing away, but Luke had known her too long and knew there was a hint of the old Mitchell in there. A part of her that truly did miss seeing him at his old desk.

"I'll see you around," his hand pat her on the shoulder as he walked away. He turned once to look back at her and say, "Not all of us have that Mitchell determination."

"Make sure no kids are loitering by gas stations," she quipped with a smirk. He threw his hand over his shoulder to flip her off as he turned the corner with his fellow officer. She shook her head at his actions, glancing once more at the girl on the ground before following his path.

* * *

Beca and Jesse stood in front of the police line as another car pulled up along the curb. The two occupants quickly got out and made their way towards the pair, one being a larger black woman and the other appeared to be another new recruit. The small detective didn't let her disappointment show on her face that CR's old companion wasn't present.

"Mitchell," Cynthia-Rose greeted. She gestured towards the boyish grin beside the brunette, "I guess you've met my old partner here."

Beca glanced between the boy and the woman she had come to know over the years, raising one eyebrow at the statement. "Too bad you couldn't keep him."

"How about you show me and Denise here the crime scene," she suggested.

"No problem. Go start the car, Swanson," Beca commanded, handing him the keys as she turned to walk down the back street. Once they came to a stop, Beca began her intro, "Peyton Wallace, 18-"

"Luke gave me details," the woman with bright-red hair cut her off. Her voice was hoarse, yet soft as she explained, "I just wanted to talk to you alone for a second."

Denise picked up on the line, moving closer towards the body and away from the pair.

"Always subtle," Beca shook her head in admiration at the command of her partner.

"She transferred to Intelligence about six months ago," Detective Adams mentioned. "I would have told you sooner, but I didn't know where she went."

"Thanks for the update, CR," Mitchell said, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I appreciate it."

"Figured that's why you offered to wait on us," she shrugged. The bigger woman placed her hand on Beca's shoulder and smiled, "Just know I still expect you to wait around on me."

Mitchell's mouth curved in a smirk, "You got it."

"You should go easy on him, Mitchell. He didn't ask to be your new partner just like you didn't ask for him. It just happened."

Beca gave a curt nod and went back to her car, quickly taking her place in the driver's seat and taking off back towards the office. The ride was filled with awkward silence aside from the occasional scanner report coming through, but none of that required them. Mitchell glanced at the young man beside her, he was staring out the window at the passing street lamps glowing in the rain.

"I'm sorry," Mitchell spoke with a composed behavior. "You're still annoying, but you're better than all those other pricks."

"What?" Swanson's confusion was completely justified. For the past few hours they had known each other she had either glared at him or threatened him, but now he was receiving an apology. She was still as cold as before and that was the only thing that let him know it really was Mitchell.

"You do what I tell you and haven't asserted yourself as my superior," she deadpanned. "I like that."

"You're like my Obi-Wan-" Jesse started.

"Don't ruin it," was the last thing she said to him as she parked in front of the Homicide building. Being the obedient puppy that he was, he understood to get out of the car before she got pissed off again.

 **Sunday, September 25th, 9:18pm**

The door of the apartment slammed shut behind her, covering the entire place with darkness once more. She didn't even need to turn the light on anymore in order to venture through the mess that she called home. Mitchell dropped her soaking jacket onto the cold tile of the kitchen, pulling the fridge open and bending over to get to the bottom shelf. The familiar frosty bottle in her palm sent a feeling of comfort through her that only it could.

She placed the cap directly above the counter, a swift hit to the edge being all it took for the metal piece to hit the floor with a small clatter. She tilted it back, swallowing the beer with ease and placing the empty bottle next to the sink. She grabbed another one and opened it the same way as she waltzed towards the bedroom, not caring to take off anything besides her shoes before sitting on the bed.

It was a habit now when she reached for the small plastic bottle on the nightstand, placing around six pills in her mouth and polishing off the beer to wash them down.

Beca Mitchell was well aware that the painkillers she took multiple times each day were dangerous and not meant to mix with any form of alcohol, but she was also aware of the numbing side effect they possessed. That's what she needed. She no longer felt the stabbing pain in her chest where the bullet had nearly torn her body to shreds two years ago, nor did she feel the throbbing ache throughout her entire body from exhaustion. That was exactly how she liked it.

Numb may not have been many other people's idea of perfect, but it was the only solace Mitchell had found over the years. She relished in the feeling as her eyes roamed the blank white canvas of the ceiling, hoping that she might get some form of sleep tonight.

* * *

 **I won't be posting this story much in the near future, but I wanted you all to get a taste of what it's about. I'm really excited for it and I hope you all are too. Hit up the reviews with what you think or message me on my Tumblr!**


	2. The Killing

Chapter 2: **The Killing**

 **Monday, September 26th, 9:03 am**

 _Beca sprinted down the hallway, the dull noise she had heard at first quickly becoming a piercing scream of terror. It sent chills down her spine like nothing else ever could and it felt like all the blood in her body had suddenly frozen. She halted in her tracks as she came to the familiar door on her left, but this time it was wide open and the latch was snapped in half like someone had kicked it in. There wasn't time to think, no time to take precautions or even wonder what had happened. It was all happening too fast, almost like a blur. She pulled her gun out, charging inside to see what was going on._

 _The moment she saw the living room was the second she knew she was too late. The screams had stopped. It was silence aside from her own breathing. Everything was drenched in blood. The pristine cream colored rug was now an eery crimson, the white couch splattered with red, and the walls smeared with the fresh liquid._

 _She heard a whimper come from behind the shattered coffee table, her feet running there before she could process her surroundings. She glanced around, spotting the auburn hair immediately. She knelt down, tossing her gun to the side to take the nearly lifeless body into her arms. She glanced down, seeing she was covered in blood, slashes, and cuts littering her athletic form. Her once angelic face now only portraying horror as she coughed up even more blood. The yelling had picked up again, only this time Beca recognized it as her own voice._

" _It's too late," her weak voice broke. Beca could barely hear her over her own cries. She watched on in a frozen state of shock as the light drained from her once sparkling blue eyes._

 _Beca heard the 'click' of a cartridge being put into place followed by the top of the gun being cocked back. Her head spun to see the towering figure with short, dark hair and the same blue eyes that she had. He was drenched in blood just like everything else, his gut slashed in half and throat cut, but his injuries didn't stop him from pointed the Glock 19 in her direction._

" _It's all your fault," he said, taking aim. He pulled the trigger, the shot firing off directly at her chest._

 _BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM_

Beca shot up in her bed, chills running through her entire body. She felt her chest constricted, struggling to breathe as the panic set in and continued to grow like a wildfire. Her feet hit the ground and carried her into the bathroom, tearing her clothes off in a fury as they clung to her from the sweat. Every part of her body felt the cold seeping in, the air hitting her nude and sweat covered body.

She yanked the handle to the shower, water pouring down and pattering against the shell of the tub. Her first instinct was to go back to her bedroom, grabbing the tiny plastic container and carrying it back with her and tossing back whatever amount came out of the top. Replacing the lid she tossed it against the wall, not hearing it clatter to the ground as she climbed into the shower and sat down.

The water beat down on her body, warming her while she closed her eyes and tried to wipe her memory clean of the recurring nightmare that only got worse each time it happened. Over the past two years, she had thought of many scenarios to try and cleanse the scenes from her mind, but she found that the only thing to help was to go through what really happened and remind herself of the truth.

She went through her normal checklist of events, reminding herself of everything that her guilt-ridden brain changed. Beca knew her nightmares were wrong, but that never changed the fact that she still felt like she was the one to blame. He was right. It was her fault.

 **Monday, September 26th, 10:34 am**

Beca burst through the door of the office, Stacie sauntering towards her with a mug in her hand as she hung her jacket on the coat rack beside the entry.

"You've been clocked in since I got here," the busty woman smiled and placed the steaming cup in Beca's hand. It was obvious to Stacie that something was wrong with her friend, but she knew it was going to be a rough morning since she walked in and didn't see the workaholic at her desk.

"You're too good to me, Stace," Beca admitted.

Leaning forward, she kissed the shorter detective on the cheek, "I don't know where you'd be without me."

"Nowhere good," Mitchell promised, heading past her friend to sit at her desk beside Jesse.

"Have trouble gettin' all the ladies out of your bed this morning, Mitchell?" Fat Amy called across the short distance between them.

"Sure did," Beca said half-heartedly. Those two words were all it took for the Australian to quit her banter, understanding that the usually sarcastic detective was struggling to put on a normal face.

Mitchell pulled her paperwork from her messenger bag, looking it over and drinking the coffee Stacie had made her gratefully. She set to work finishing the report along with notes from the case her and Jesse had gone out on last night. Beca didn't even acknowledge her new partner, simply wanting to focus on her work and not let her mind wander anywhere else for fear of a panic attack.

"Hey, Mitchell," Jesse attempted to get his mentor's attention. Her eyes never moved from the sheet of paper she was filling out. He tried again with a bit more urgency, "Mitchell?"

This time her brain registered the noise as actual words, but she didn't make any move to look at him. "Yeah, Swanson?"

"Where were you this morning?" he asked curiously. He had wondered why she wasn't at her desk this morning when he arrived despite multiple assurances from the others that it wasn't anything to worry about.

"I overslept," her sullen voice explained.

He nodded at the statement, going back to filling out his report on the case from yesterday. Jesse knew better than to provoke his extremely hot-headed partner, but one of his many passions in life was studying movies and attempting to figure out the ending and all the back-story before it was explained. He was a curious kid who grew up to be an even more curious adult. That was the entire reason he had been drawn to being a detective in the first place.

Jesse swung back and forth in his chair, thinking his next move through carefully.

"Can I ask you something?" he bit his thumbnail.

Mitchell let out a tired sigh, "Sure."

His eyes widened in shock, having no idea how he hadn't been threatened up until this point. "I- uh-"

"Just fucking ask," she spat at him, not sounding nearly as vicious as she usually did.

"What happened to your last partner?" Jesse ceased his spinning, coming to a halt and looking directly at Mitchell. He held his hands together, keeping him partially calm.

"It didn't work out." Beca stopped working on her half-finished notes to glance at Jesse from the corner of her eye. His face was tense, a mixture between completely stressed out and some kind of strange form of excitement. She could tell he was the human incarnation of a Twenty Questions game, so she did the first thing she knew to do. "How long ago were you in Sex Crimes?"

Jesse perked up at the question, not realizing that Mitchell had even paid attention to anything Detective Adams had said yesterday. "I- I started there after I passed the exam. I was a cop here for six years and then I- I got put in Sex Crimes about half-a-year ago. Cynthia-Rose was basically my mentor and she really helped me get this job. It's a lot different than here though, over at Sex Crimes there was a lot of drama and apparently Cynthia-Rose's old partner left for no real reason-"

"I need to smoke," Mitchell jumped out of her seat and was basically sprinting for the door. She couldn't stand listening to Jesse blabber on about himself like a child, even if she was the one who had asked. The whole point was for her to be able to block him out, but that was impossible if he had to bring up the one person she didn't want to think about anymore.

Jesse was stunned, not sure what had just happened. He wasn't the only one though, Stacie and Fat Amy were giving each other a look of concern and whispering to one and other. He couldn't hear them over the whirring of the computer towers or pattering of rain against the window, so he rolled himself over in his chair towards the pair.

"Can I ask you all something?" Jesse asked the duo, his eyes pleading with them to hear him out.

Fat Amy immediately averted her eyes, spinning around to pretend to look at the building across from them. Stacie, on the other hand, took a deep breath and muttered, "Go for it."

He scooted closer to the seductive woman's desk, bracing his elbows on the edge. "What's going on with Mitchell? I mean, I know I've been here a day, but everyone else was so nice to me and I don't get what I'm doing wrong."

"Oh, sweetie," Conrad's breathy laugh lightened the air. "That's who she is. Mitchell is the most hot-headed, stubborn, and brilliant detective you'll probably ever meet."

"What ya see is what ya get, mate," Fat Amy coughed, continuing to face the city.

Stacie rolled her eyes playfully, smiling at the incredibly true statement. "Beca Mitchell is an amazing detective, but she's a pain-in-the-ass to work with if she doesn't like you. And she's known you a day. You're already doing better than the past seven."

"She pulled the first guy through his car window and broke his nose because he called her a 'stupid bitch' behind her back," Amy threw in. "It was awesome."

"But that's another thing," Stacie put her hand up as a sign of caution, Amy's statement reminding her of an important fact. "She doesn't talk about any of her previous partners. Not to us, not to the Lieutenant, not to anybody."

"But why?" Jesse asked, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"I think she prefers to forget them once they finally leave and I really don't blame her, but you should go back to your desk before she comes back," Conrad warned.

"Mitchell will probably throw you through a bloody window," the Australian muttered to herself.

Jesse still wanted to know more about his new partner, but he understood that maybe waiting wasn't the worst idea in the world. He would rather not be dragged out of his car window and beaten senseless like the first guy she worked with. Swanson pushed off, rolling back towards his desk as Mitchell shuffled through the entryway, dropping her lighter in her front pocket.

The brunette made her way down the makeshift walkway, jumping when Lieutenant Abernathy-McKadden's door swung open and hit the wall with a rough _smack_. Though Gail was often in a constant state of light stress from dealing with her superiors, public events to garner funding for the department, and the notorious attitude of Detective Mitchell, the blonde woman had only appeared to be this distressed one other time since her time in Homicide.

Her blonde hair hung loosely around her face instead of pulled up, her eyes bloodshot even from a distance, and her shoulders bound up much tighter than they normally were. She held eye contact with the short detective who had frozen in place upon her outburst.

"Mitchell," she choked up like someone would when they were doing everything they could to not burst into tears. "In here. Now."

Beca followed her orders without a word, closing the door behind her with a _click_ that seemed to reverberate through the room as it was locked.

Jessica placed her hand on top of her desk for support as she rose out of her seat, making her way towards the bathrooms that were located next to the kitchen. Ashley soon followed after her, both appearing paler than they had before Gail emerged from her office.

"What-" Mary Elise began, only to halt when Stacie raised one of her perfectly manicured hands to silence her.

"No one says anything," she warned with a new edge to her voice.

Each eye remained focused on the door to the Lieutenant's door, awaiting one of the two to reappear and explain what was going on. No one moved a muscle until they all heard the same muffled crash of glass being shattered. Barely a second after the sudden disturbance, the door slammed against the wall again, but this time Mitchell appeared in the doorway as she was storming out of the room.

"Get off your goddamn ass, Swanson," she barked with rage, startling even Stacie. Her head jerked in his direction as she continued at her fast pace, "MOVE."

Mitchell didn't even reach for her jacket, simply marching through the door and rushing down the steps while Jesse scrambled to gather his belongings. He raced out of the room, hastily grabbing Mitchell's messenger bag while he shoved his wallet and phone in whichever jean pocket he could find at the time.

Stacie stood with all the courage she could muster, thinking back to the last time she had seen Gail look as upset as she just had. Her long legs carried her to the office, finding Gail sitting at her desk with her head in her heads and her elbows resting on her knees.

"Lieutenant?" Conrad asked with her hand braced against the wood frame of the door.

Gail's head lurched up, her blue eyes studying Stacie, "Yes, Conrad?"

"Is it what I think it is?" she breathed, her voice shaking at the thoughts racing through her mind. Her free hand clung to her shirt, tightening as she recalled the blood-soaked apartment, the constant _beep_ of the monitors, the ungodly screams that woke her when it was her turn to stay in the hospital, and the four empty desks that had been vacated without any warning.

Stacie watched on in horror as Gail gave her one swift nod, her jaw trembling and not allowing her to speak without bursting into tears on the spot.

She felt her blood run cold, the doorknob feeling warm against her skin as she closed the door and went back to her desk. Amy followed her every move, her partner's skin now a ghostly pale that left her feeling empty. Stacie sat down carefully, attempting to keep herself from shattering at the slightest touch.

Jessica and Ashley trudged out of the bathroom, their feet suddenly coming to a halt when they noticed the fear that was overtaking Detective Conrad's features. Amy caught Jessica's eye, the smaller blonde nodding towards the busty woman only to get a shrug in return.

Stacie wasn't oblivious to what was going on around her, but she was struggling to come to terms with the information she had just been given. She felt the painful burning behind her eyes, allowing herself a moment to breathe. Across from her, two desks sat empty and sent a chill through her body again. It looked so familiar.

"Stace?" Jessica's comforting voice lulled her from her memories as she turned her head to look at the woman in question. "Is everything okay?"

"What's going on?" Fat Amy asked, not a hint of joking in her tone. It was so completely unlike her that it should have raised alarms immediately.

Stacie was motionless, her body aching at the thought of what had happened years ago. She managed to keep her voice strong as she stated, "It's happening again."

 **Monday, September 26th, 11:02 am**

When Jesse Swanson first became a police officer, he passed the Physical Abilities Test without any issues and had even been the first person in his recruitment class to finish the obstacles. The Physical portion involved in becoming a detective had been a completely different journey from start to finish, but he still managed to pass without much trouble. Unfortunately for Jesse, all those trials and weeks spent in training were nothing compared to the overwhelming force that was Beca Mitchell.

His partner had taken off once she had stormed out of Lieutenant Abernathy-McKadden's office and she had absolutely no intention of slowing down for him. He had essentially gotten into Detective Mitchell's grey Saab 9-3 while she was pulling out of the parking lot. He tossed Mitchell's bag in the back of the vehicle, unsure if the item was even needed, but he felt that it was the right thing to do in the hurried moment.

It was in the minutes after he had struggled into the moving vehicle that he realized there was a possibility that his partner was certifiably insane because anyone who was able to drive as recklessly as she was could not be in the right state of mind. Swanson watched as she would switch gears without a moment of hesitation in the middle of the city, her hand moving with lightning speed, reminding him of NASCAR racers he used to watch as a child. It occurred to him that this was an emergency situation, so he held a vice-like grip on the dashboard as he flipped on the police lights Mitchell had set up in the front window.

Jesse did the only thing he knew to do as he watched the buildings and pedestrians pass in a blur and felt the car swerve with each high-velocity turn. He closed his eyes and prayed that he survived. When he heard the squealing of the tires and felt himself fly forward only to be jerked back by the seatbelt he barely recalled fixing into place, he opened his once tightly clenched eyes and saw that they were at Queen Anne Hill.

Swanson had grown up in Seattle, Washington and he knew that Queen Anne Hill, a popular location that consisted of a maze of staircases, was at least 20 minutes from the station with traffic. According to the clock in the car, they had made it there in 8. Jesse would have had the urge to be sick if he could think. He was pulled back to reality by the slamming door to his left. His head jerked towards where Mitchell had been sitting only to see that she was long gone, sprinting up the steps they had parked next to.

He struggled with the buckle on his seat, throwing himself out of the car and shutting the door behind him by pushing his body off of it to gain more momentum. His legs carried him up the staircase two-at-a-time as fast as his body was capable of going, but he was still far behind his partner and only caught occasional glimpses of her as he came to the top of each set of stairs. The bright green leaves on all the bushes around him turned into a solid blur as he set his hand on anything solid he could find, whether it be a metal guardrail or a wooden bench, in order to push himself forward.

His lungs had never burned like they were attempting to catch up to the small detective ahead of him, but she didn't seem to be exerting herself whatsoever. If Jesse didn't know better, he would have assumed she was some kind of superhero from the sheer stamina she was showing in these moments as she traversed staircase after staircase without slowing down even to figure out which direction she needed to go next.

* * *

Beca Mitchell had only felt a rush of adrenaline like this a handful of times in her life, but it seemed that as she got older it happened more often. The first time was when she was seventeen and all the others had been in recent years for the same reason she was running now. She could barely remember what Gail had told her after pulling her into the office, but what she did know was that the body that was found was in the same location as the body was a little over two years ago. Maybe it was a mistake, it could have been a false alarm or just a coincidence, but the way her blood ran cold told her that it was no accident.

Her mind was racing, unable to stay on one thought for more than a few seconds before she moved to the next option. She felt the fiery burn coursing through her muscles, but it was barely noticeable to her as she pushed on. Beca didn't even have to think about the route through Queen Anne Hill, a path she had relived in nightmares and therapy sessions for months on end. Traversing the maze of stairs was second nature to her as her instincts kicked in.

Mitchell leaped up the stairs three-at-a-time and sprinted headfirst towards the bottom of the one staircase she knew better than the others, coming to a jerking halt in front of Officer Luke Evans. Luke's dark green eyes were wide with shock as he put his hands up to stop the small detective, holding on to her biceps to ensure she wasn't going to take him out. He watched as her new partner struggled up behind her, his breathing rapid as she bent over with his hands braced against his knees.

Officer Evans looked into the steel blue of his friend's eyes and saw a fire that was almost covering up the frenzy behind it, but he knew exactly what was running through her head because it had been the same thing he had been thinking about since he arrived at the scene.

"Where's the body?" she questioned in a hushed tone, hoping for the answer to be different than the one she had in her mind.

There was no trace of Luke's usual grin on his face. In its place was the downcast look of a man who was struggling to hid his fear. His voice came out low and strained, "I think you already know, Mitchell."

Her piercing gaze fell on the stairs behind the muscular blond man that was known as Galer Crown. Mitchell removed herself from Luke's grip, her powerful strides carrying her past him and towards the first landing of the staircase where a man was clearly visible against the middle railing. The Forensic Team was already surveying the scene, taking pictures of the surroundings and collecting evidence from around the area. She took in the gruesome sight before her without any form of emotion taking over her features, so that to the people around her she seemed like nothing more than a cold and distant bystander.

The body was that of an athletic looking young man. He had short, dark brown hair that was caked in blood and was wearing what Beca could only guess was originally a grey shirt, jeans, and a pair of bloody blue shoes that she couldn't help but find familiar. Maybe a few days ago he was an attractive guy, but right now the only thing anyone could feel when looking at him was sorrow. His throat had been sliced through to the bone, his shirt torn to shreds just like his body where his organs were falling out, and through the destruction, one could almost make out multiple stab wounds to his chest. His muscular arms were tied behind his back and kept him firmly in place against the rail.

Beca struggled to keep her eyes on the forensic tech that was kneeling beside the man and photographing the crimson carnage. She forced out her words, somehow able to maintain her composure as she asked, "What color are his eyes?"

The kneeling tech glanced up at her, turning back to her camera and responding, "It's hard to tell for sure, but they looked blue when I checked."

Detective Mitchell felt what little was left of her cold heart sink into the frozen depths of her stomach. Her gaze fell back to the pale and blood covered man on the ground, squatting down in order to get a better look at the destruction in front of her. Despite his multitude of debilitating wounds, it was clear to anyone with a brain that this man had been through hell and suffered more than any human being should ever have to.

The whispered words rolled off her tongue before she could comprehend her own thoughts, "You didn't deserve this."

She pushed off on her knees, raising back up to her standing position. Mitchell heard the shuffle of footsteps ascending the staircase to her left, her head moving only an inch to see the look of horror that came across Jesse's boyish features. Her eyebrows came together in confusion when she noticed that he wasn't looking at the young man on the landing, but his gaze was transfixed towards the top of Galer Crown.

"Oh my god," came Jesse's terrified whisper, his voice breaking while his face contorted to display the overwhelming sense of fear that was wracking his nerves.

Mitchell spun her head to see what Jesse was looking at, but in that moment she truly wished she had just continued to look at the scene in front of her. On the top landing of Galer Crown stood a girl with bright, wavy red hair that fell just below her shoulder. She was wearing an outfit similar to the dead man they had been called to investigate. Just like him, she was also drenched in blood.

Beca sprinted up the stairs as the auburn-haired woman stumbled down towards her, clinging to the railing with what little strength she had left. Mitchell wrapped her arms around the girl, feeling her entire body weight fall against her in an instant. She knelt down on the steps, allowing the blood-soaked woman to rest against the cold concrete.

She looked into her bright blue eyes, causing Beca's hands to shake and a shiver to run directly up her spine. It was like seeing a ghost. Her lips parted as she struggled to speak, coughing and causing the red liquid to spill out over her pale skin, her frail voice choking out, "Th- Your fault."

Mitchell saw the tired hand reach out and caress her face, the freezing skin being blocked by something in her palm. She grabbed the hand in her own, gently turning the wrist so that it faced palm up and found a small, folded sheet of paper that had specks of blood on it.

"Swanson!" Beca called out, her voice sounding much stronger than she felt. She heard him running up behind her as she silently slipped the faded paper into her pocket, watching as the girl's head tilted back and her breathing became more shallow than it had been before. She shuffled to the right, allowing Jesse room to place his hands beneath the dying girl, "Be gentle. Take care of her."

The shorter detective hustled up the remaining steps and onto the third and final landing, looking out to the crowded street surrounding the steps. The only thing she could think was that he was here. The man who did this was here. Her heart was racing, beating against her ribcage and pounding a fast beat that resounded in her ears. Everything was a blur as she ran up to passing civilians, grabbing them by the shoulder and turning them around, trying to find a face she had never seen before outside of her darkest nightmares. The people commuting to and from their destination seemed more scared of Beca as she asked if they had seen a girl covered in blood walking towards Galer Crown, but each of them shook their head and walked away from her.

She already knew she would find nothing, that no one would have seen anything or even noticed something out of the ordinary. That was how it played out every single time just a few years ago and nothing had changed. Beca dashed back to the scene and found that the paramedics who arrived to check on the initial murder were now with the girl on the second landing, but she knew it was over.

It was too late to save her. They never had a chance. The killer had set it up perfectly, to where she had just enough life left in her to hand Beca the note and speak to her before she died. Mitchell went up to her partner, studying his stunned features and understanding what he had just gone through. His eyes were glazed over, his hands covering his mouth as he rocked slightly from side to side in a daze. She put her hand on his back, pulling him back to reality.

"You couldn't have done anything," Mitchell assured him, his mouth transforming into a hard line as he tried to keep his reeling emotions under control.

"I know," his voice sounded smaller than it ever had in his own ears. "She was gone whenever you left, but it- it was just-"

"Brutal," she finished for him. Mitchell had forgotten what it was like to be truly affected by witnessing a horrendous crime, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware that it could still shock other people. The only thing she really had left was empathy. "We're going to solve this, Swanson. They didn't die in vain."

He nodded his head, trying to shake the image of that dead girl in his arms out of his mind, "I know."

"Why don't you go sit in the car?" Beca handed him the keys to her vehicle, pressing them into his palm and ensuring he had a hold of them. "I need to talk to Officer Evans, so I'll only be a few minutes."

Jesse gave her a thumbs up and began his journey back to the Saab, fiddling with the metal key ring as he went. Beca watched him as he disappeared behind a set of hedges, turning her attention towards the British officer who was keeping curious civilians with cameras out of view of the scene. He caught sight of the small brunette and whispered to the officer beside him, pulling his jacket closer to his body and heading over to his friend.

"Your partner okay?" Luke asked, scanning the area for any sign of him.

"He's really shaken up, so I sent him back to the car," she explained. Beca glanced back at the bodies on the landings, thinking through her next words carefully. "It's him, Luke."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," he admitted, his hand coming up to rub his scruffy jawline. "Did you find anything on the street?"

"Nothing," Mitchell deadpanned. "Like he was never there."

"The coroner will be here soon to take them to the morgue, so we'll know for sure if it's the same method."

"There's no question, Luke. It's him. He's back," Beca crossed her arms. "You saw them, they look exactly like-"

"I know," he agreed, staring down at the concrete beneath his feet. "I guess I was just hoping I was wrong."

"I was too, I really was. But we're not that lucky, Evans," Mitchell gave a solemn smirk.

He gazed up through his blond lashes and returned the look, "Never have been."

"Ch- She gave me something," Beca corrected herself quickly, shaking her brown locks to help her think clearly. She reached into her pocket and pulled the sheet of paper out, unfolding it with care to reveal a note. The pair read the familiar writing in silence, neither one wanting to say another word.

 _This should bring back some memories. Too bad you let them down again._

 _-S.R._

* * *

 **I'm so sorry I left this for so long. But I'm excited to be posting again.  
**

 **Leave a review or a like! Let me know what you think!**


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